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Post by grayhorse on Dec 18, 2015 18:12:04 GMT
Let me interject that around this time period I was showing in English Pleasure and unfortunately I had created a very heavy horse. Heavy in the front end. A lot of what you see was created by yours truly. I have had to change my entire way of thinking and riding, to get her off her forehand. When I was showing her I was blinded by the desire to win and show off and mostly I just didn’t know any better, training wise. It is something I am quite ashamed of, now. If you were to look at current video I do hope it shows a positive change. As for riding goals, well I’d like to be able to proficiently ride at the beginner novice level and would be happy if I could pull off intro. I don’t care anymore about blue ribbons, what is most important to me is to be able to ride well, to be able to offer my horse my best self. To correct some wrongs. To learn, to grow. Riding enriches my life, so mostly I just want to ride
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Post by horseguy on Dec 20, 2015 19:51:22 GMT
Your horse can do beginner Novice eventing, but you need to get past her refusals first. To quote Jimmy, you must get into the process with her before the big thing, which is the jump. You will need to feel her setup for the refusal, small as it might be. Use the trot to the wall, turn left/right drill to feel her set up for either a left or right turn when she approaches the wall, and in her setup square zero, tell her to go the opposite direction she wants to set up for. That all might sound simple, but it is not simple to feel that setup coming, but I think if you do the drill, you might feel it early enough to correct it before the actual movement toward a refusal begins.
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Post by grayhorse on Dec 20, 2015 23:04:50 GMT
I've heard that before, that BN is ok for my horse. I decided to try eventing so I could do more stuff with her, see what we could get done. Plus when I was doing the cowboy dressage thing, there was no one around interested in it. I was totally alone. It got a bad reception on the other board, and it sorta killed my desire to do it. Plus, I like riding with at least a few people to have a good support system, people to haul with and attend shows with, a trainer to work with. So I started up with my current gal. Dressage is our strong point, stadium is good because I do better in an arena. Cross country is where I struggle. My horse first time on a xc course my trainer rode her...she rode the entire BN course my horse jumped everything first try, no problem. She came back saying I have a brave horse. Another jaw drop moment, I have a lot of those. I absolutely need to get past the refusals. I hope I can do it. I am planning on doing your exercise when I'm out of the cast. I will even record it so you can see. I'm sorry I did not comment further about the video, that trainer is my personal friend and I feel responsible for posting it and not asking his permission. My bad, I wasn't thinking. I hope he does not come across the forum someday and be angry at me for it. He'd probably just be disappointed which is worse because I would hate to disappoint him
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Post by horseguy on Dec 21, 2015 14:06:30 GMT
I've heard that before, that BN is ok for my horse. I decided to try eventing so I could do more stuff with her, see what we could get done. Plus when I was doing the cowboy dressage thing, there was no one around interested in it. I was totally alone. It got a bad reception on the other board, and it sorta killed my desire to do it. Plus, I like riding with at least a few people to have a good support system, people to haul with and attend shows with, a trainer to work with. So I started up with my current gal. I do not think I have ever been in your position of trying to find something for my horse to do. For me it has always been that I tried something and liked it and then needed to find horses for it. You are looking for something for your horse, not a horse for something you want to do. Your selection criteria for your horse's work seems to be primarily social. Makes sense for the rider. Have you ever sat down, free of any rider concerns, and asked what your horse would do best at?
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Post by grayhorse on Dec 21, 2015 18:08:19 GMT
Hi Horseguy, Yes I have and I do know what she’s good at... When the mustang was a 5 year old and fresh out of training I was already on a drill team and owned two horses, the mustang and an appendix mare, my drill mount. I tried the mustang at drill team to see if she could be a back-up and lucky for me, she really excelled at it. Liked it, even. She was the best horse I had tried yet, for drill. She became my primary horse and I rode drill on her for around 8 years… It’s funny you say social, drill team is social overload and basically I could not stand the people drama anymore. I had to walk away from it. She did very well at the western/cowboy dressage thing too. Initially I had read about it and immediately thought this is my horse, she can do this. Her way of going just fits well in that model. It reflects in her scores, too. Traditional dressage at the lower levels would work for her (I assume) because all I’m really doing is changing the saddle. I’ve seen online these cowboy race type competitions and I think she might be good at that too, I just know nothing about those. She does well with patterns and work that changes a lot, quickly. She is good when we go from one task to another. Mentally she likes jumping I think when the jumps come at her faster, the longer stretches in XC well you can tell she is like what’s up with all this galloping and starts looking for things to spook at or complain about. A combined test would suit her well, dressage and stadium. I know she is not built to jump big…she feels good at 2’3”- 2’6” and starts to feel maxed out at 2’9”…what do you think hearing all this? My next horse will be like what you say, I will decide what it is I want to do and then find the horse to do it. I’m at a point in my life where the next one I can spend some money on. That wasn’t the case when I got my mare. Right now I would consider buying an event horse or a reined cow horse. I like both equally.
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Post by horseguy on Dec 22, 2015 14:22:44 GMT
…what do you think hearing all this? I think your horse is uncomplicated and likes to know what's happening. She likes to know her job all the time. I have to go back to her approach to the jump when her ears were back at you, then forward, then back, and so on. She was in an approach and, I think, didn't know it. She needs more leadership in those moments, not the through-her-around kind like the trainer, the reassurance kind. I constantly talk to those kinds of horses. When I feel them wondering what's up in a long approach to a jump, I say, "We're going, we're going, we're going, we're going, we're going, ..." all the way to the jump.
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Post by grayhorse on Dec 23, 2015 4:19:15 GMT
Horseguy,
Here is another short video. This is not one of my better jumps, my upper body and release kinda suck and I'm left behind over a tiny log. However, watch my approach. I am coming up a hill and I am saying ok we are going up this hill and my horse says ok lets go...but then as we get closer to the jump I think what I did was suck back just a little (like oh crap theres the jump)...and my horse felt that and in that split second her energy diminishes you almost can't see it but it is there, and then what follows? The ears! Her ears come back as if to say uhm, hello? I didn't even know I was DOING this to her....and she goes ahead and jumps anyway, maybe I closed my leg and she said oh ok...
Is that what you see?? Or am I making this up?
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Post by horseguy on Dec 23, 2015 14:53:06 GMT
Col. M.F. McTaggart said that a good jumper lengthens each stride from the previous in the approach to a jump. I do not see this in your horse. I do not see a measurable decrease in the energy or stride either. I see a half hearted approach. Some people might say relaxed, but to me an approach needs more energy.
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Post by grayhorse on Dec 23, 2015 15:49:16 GMT
Darn, wrong again!
Well so what have I learned that my horse needs leadership all the way to the jump and that my approaches are consistently half hearted.
I can't shake the feeling that I'm trying to put a square peg into a round hole... Maybe I wasn't meant to be a jumper. HG, thanks for your time and patience and for answering all my million questions. You rock.
Have a Merry Christmas
Carrie
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